March Makes

Just one girl and her dog, with an 'I could make that' ethos.

[marchmakes]

Contentment is...

Sometimes happiness can be as simple as a decent cup of coffee in a non-corporate environment that has cost only £1. It can also be finding a favourite, and presumed lost, lip balm in a bag that has not been used for a while. Or maybe finding a tissue in your pocket when you really do need one and had almost resigned yourself to using a sleeve in sheer desperation.

[marchmakes]

Trial and error...

I am lucky enough to work from home, but at 3.50pm every day I mooch into the kitchen to make something (not always) delicious for dinner so it is ready just after my partner gets home. No, I'm not what you would call a traditional housewife or anything, he is just hungry after a 10 mile ride home and my body clock has adapted to expect dinner then too.

Last night, as I settled on making a veggie chilli with wholemeal pitta breads I made an error. Instead of checking I had everything I needed, I assumed I did because all the spices i needed were present. Alas, having thrown most things into a pan I realised I had no tinned tomatoes. Who forgets tomatoes I found myself shouting, at nobody. Well apparently I do, so I started trying to think of a substitute. What if I squeeze some ketchup and tomato puree into a jug and add some water? As appealing as that sounded, I spied a long forgotten tin of cream of tomato soup at the back of the cupboard. With a hearty 'SOD IT!', in it went and you know what? It might just be the best chilli I have ever made. Rather than being too sweet or strange tasting, it made for a delightfully thick, spicy sauce that gently bubbled and stayed gloriously silky even when doled out into a cold bowl.

I am completely unabashed to admit that I have eaten the leftovers for breakfast this morning (evidence below!) and it was equally fantastic cold and a bit more stodgy.

Off I go to wait for our woodburner to be delivered...

[marchmakes]

Look Ma, I'm a writer...

As I flopped into my desk chair this morning, hair reminiscent of what a hurricane mixed with a volcanic eruption must surely look like, I began to put the finishing touches to an article I am writing for the wonderful Boneshaker Magazine and it hit me. I am actually doing my dream job. Ok, so the money isn't as good as if I were working for some awful insurance call-centre, but I'm happy, truly blissful in fact.

I'm taking a dressmaking class so I can save money on buying clothes (nobody sees me anyway, I work from home in my pyjamas most of the time), my partner and I are both vegetarian so the food bill is not as horrendous as it could be and generally, we are just content with what we have, no need for extravagance.

I briefly wondered if I was just convincing myself that this was the life I always wanted, but no, sure enough, it is. And do you want to know something else? I don't think I'm half bad at my job!

[veganinspo]

Vegan GF Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

[marchmakes]

Without a doubt, I will be making these for my partner Gavin, a chocoholic and peanut butter addict in equal measure and with me not loving dairy, perfection!

[marchmakes]

I could kick myself...

for not taking a photo of how my home office looked before I set about revamping it. I hope that by next weekend it will be entirely finished, but for now, I have very much enjoyed reupholstering my office chair in a lovely pink and white polka dot fabric.

This is a super short entry but I am trying to get into a routine of keeping this blog updated and this was the only vaguely interesting thing I could think of to write... oooh, apart form the fact that my pattern for my dressmaking class has arrived so I look forward to seeing how i tackle that!

[handsomedogs]

Our wonderful Boo Boo. From @marchmakes.

[marchmakes]

What a lovely surprise to wake up to on a Saturday, our Boo boo has been featured on a blog!

[marchmakes]

Hair bows galore...

As a newly initiated member of the redhead family, I realised that a lot of my favourite hair accessories are more geared towards suiting blonde tones. What a dilemma. I decided to use this finding as an excuse to delve into my big stash of ribbon offcuts and buttons to create some new combs and bows. I'm pretty pleased with them, especially the red and white polka dot combs, they will be perfect with some nice curls! Please excuse the terrible photo, my camera appears to feel as tired as I do after writing a lot of articles today.

[marchmakes]

The very first post

I would have loved to have thought of something spectacular to use as my first post, but alas, my brain has failed me. Instead I thought I would say why I am here and share the deliciousness that has been my morning thus far.

I am a freelance writer. I work from my home in the countryside with my beloved pooch sat under my desk, on my feet (she likes cubby holes, hidden spaces and oddly enough, the smell of feet). My work room is also a craft haven, filled with all manner of tools and materials that allow me to make fun things when the urge grabs me. My mother recalls that we would visit craft fairs and as a precocious child I would exclaim that 'I could make that', pointing at every beautiful, handcrafted item on display. It's not true, but I like to have a go. Some of the items I make are super, others are an unprecedented disaster, much like with my cooking, but I still think it is important to try. The creating is the most rewarding part, regardless of the outcome, perhaps that is why I am a writer, submitting articles despite the risk to my ego.

So in my blog you will find regular foodie pictures, craft projects, things I find really interesting, pictures of my dog (I suspect there will be many of these) and beautiful items that other people have made that I wish I was talented enough to have brought into being. 

    I have no shame in admitting that this was my breakfast. Three of my Bounty-inspired cupcakes. I had planned to take a picture of all three to show how gorgeous they are en mass but in my frustration of searching for camera cables, I ate two of them. It was lucky that I managed to save one because the coconut frosting helped sooth my mouth after burning it on this...

  Made using a recipe from Rose at mountain bakery​ this bread is AMAZING. My partner makes it a few times a week but he charged me with putting it into the oven today, and subsequently removing it. I knew I would regret it but I had to sneak a piece after just five minutes of cooling resulting in a very sore roof of my mouth. All of the recipes on Rose's page are delicious and I was in utter shock when she asked me for the recipe for some chutney I gave her as a Christmas present, which reminds me, I must send that to her now.